Graduate Medical Education Outcome and Metrics Current Metrics: What is Measured Now? ABMS Board Certification: Achieving Board Certification Lois Margaret Nora, MD, JD, MBA American Board of Medical Specialties 11 October 2017 2017 American Board of Medical Specialties
Disclosure Dr. Nora is a salaried employee of the American Board of Medical Specialties 2
Outline of Comments ABMS Board Certification defining the specialist What does it measure? Example: American Board of Surgery Certification Trends and Moving Forward 3
4 American Medicine Early 20th Century
Professional Self-Regulation and the Social Compact Have special knowledge and skills Patients before self-interest Profession given substantial autonomy to self-regulate The privilege of professional self-regulation can be lost 5
Specialty Standards define the discipline inform ACGME Program Requirements for residency and fellowship training inform assessment during and following residency training are updated periodically to reflect evolution of the specialty with changes in medical knowledge, skills, and procedures 6
24 ABMS Member Boards Allergy and Immunology Anesthesiology Colon and Rectal Surgery Dermatology Emergency Medicine Family Medicine Internal Medicine Medical Genetics and Genomics Neurological Surgery Nuclear Medicine Obstetrics and Gynecology Ophthalmology Orthopaedic Surgery Otolaryngology Pathology Pediatrics Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Plastic Surgery Preventive Medicine Psychiatry and Neurology Radiology Surgery Thoracic Surgery Urology 7
ABMS Board Certification Distinct from medical licensure Board certification - ABMS Board Certification Grounded in the standards that define the specialty Statement that the physician meets the professionalism, knowledge, skills and behaviors standards of the Specialty Board A process; a credential; an outcome; an identity 8
Achieving ABMS Board Certification - A Process On-going assessment of knowledge, skills, and professionalism across an extended period of time Completion of training in an ACGME-accredited residency or fellowship program Statement by program director Successful performance on Board-based assessment Other requirements 9
ABMS Member Boards Initial Certification Assessment Requirements Successful completion of high-stakes examination (knowledge-focused; with judgement, clinical reasoning) # of Boards Oral examinations (case discussions, skills evaluations, hypothetical 14 situations, etc.) Practice requirements (minimum number of cases or time in practice, NOTE: 8 may occur after completion of training) Professional recommendations (from peers or hospital leadership, not 6 training program director) Procedural/case log books 6 Hospital privileges 5 Elements of certification examination administered during residency 2 Certification by another ABMS Board 2 Completion of both Self-Assessment and Improvement in Medical Practice 1 activities Completion of other academic courses 1 24
American Board of Surgery - Certificate in General Surgery Purpose: To pass judgment on the education, training and knowledge of broadly qualified and responsible surgeons Training Requirements 5 years progressive residency training; Care of 40 surgical critical care patients 12 months of Chief rotation Successful completion of ACLS, ATLS, FLS, FES Observed patient interactions; Observed operations (early in training) Program Director attestation of completion of educational experience and attainment of high level of knowledge, clinical judgment, and technical skills, as well as ethical standing Other Requirements Completed Cases (850 cases minimum; 250 cases completed by end of PGY2; 200 in Chief Resident year; 25 as teaching resident) Surgical privileges Exam Process Practice requirement or engaged in pursuing additional graduate education Single-day computer-based certification exam (offered after completion of PGY-4) Oral certifying exam requiring a passing score (offered after successful completion of general surgery qualifying exam) 11
Evidence Patient outcomes over a wide variety of clinical conditions are better when care is provided by an ABMS board-certified physician Fewer disciplinary actions Board certification is an important distinguisher in clinical privileging Board certification is important to users of the health care system Lipner RS, Hess BJ, Phillips RL. Specialty Board Certification in the United States: Issues and Evidence. JCEHP. 33(Supp 1) S20-S35, Fall 2013. 12
Lessons Learned, Trends Limited understanding of board certification in medical school Oral examination provides unique information (clinical reasoning, ethical analysis, etc.) Increased use of technology in the assessment process Movement toward early introduction of certification activities into residency Movement toward phased process to initial certification Movement toward simulation-style assessments Movement toward practice-based assessments 13
Questions What measures give us the most important information? What measures give us unique information? What do measures say about length of training, style of training? 14
Outcomes Thinking Long Term Medical School Residency & Fellowship Career-long Medical Practice Changes Over Time: Science (HIV, Genomics, Pharmacotherapy); Practice (Peptic Ulcer, Acute MI, TBI); Setting (In-patient to Ambulatory); Dangers (From limited efficacy & safe to substantial efficacy & dangerous); Construct (From Captain of the ship to Team member/sometimes leader); Social culture (Beneficent paternalism to Patient autonomy; Public demand); Pace of change (Rapid to super-rapid); 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 Years Physician (Roles, Wisdom, Age, Abilities, Life stressors, Ability to self-assess) 15